20/20 Ten Food Myths

20/20 recently covered Ten Food Myths.  Here they are:

1. Drink eight glasses of water per day:  20/20 says this is a myth, but I disagree.  The recommendation is the equivalent of 8 glasses of water per day, to include water from other sources like fruits and other liquids.  The truth is that some people need more; some need less.  My opinion is that it's a good goal, especially if you spend a lot of time outside in the sun or exercise a lot.
2. Expensive coffee tastes better:  No, people can't really tell - but this was based on a 20/20 test with only a few people.  Interestingly, a representative from Folgers declined to take the test, but a rep from Oren was braver (although she didn't like her own brand).  Sugar and the right milk fat can help any coffee taste much better.  BTW, Folgers came in last.
3. Margarine is healthier than butter:  Nope, margarine has gobs of trans fatty acids, which are tons worse than saturated fat.  Partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) makes liquids more solid, so it will tend to sit in your bloodstream.  Get butter instead.  (Of course, if you buy a butter-type product with smart fat or omega-3 fatty acids or based on canola oil, these are best.)
4. Sugar makes kids hyper:  Clinical evidence shows that sugar does not makes kids hyper.  If anything, it might be the social impact of being together at a party.  Sugar is a party.  A sugar rush only lasts a few minutes, after that a person actually has lower blood sugar.
5. Don't swallow chewing gum:   Myth.  You'd have to eat 7 per day to gum up your insides.  But even then, problems are rare.
6. Green tea fights cancer:  Nope, no direct evidence.  Japan has low incidence of cancer and drink a lot of green tea, but they also get a lot of fish with healthy cancer-fighting Omega-3 fatty acids.  Massive amounts of green tea to mice can help reduce their cancer, but this equates to gallons of green tea per day for humans.
7. Beer before liquor helps you not get sick later:  Nope.  The more you drink, the greater chance of getting sick.  Many people actually get sick from drinking different types of drinks in the same night.  So beer before liquor could make you sicker.
8. Carrots help your eyes:  Most people get enough Vitamin A.  Thus, carrots won't help the eye site of most people.
9. Brand name foods are better than store brands and generic:  Seth Godin says there is no difference.  Much of it is based on the brands you ate as a kid.
10. Eating at home is safer:  Sponges are the #1 cause of food poisoning in the home.  Restaurants have to adhere to strict publishing standards.  50-80% of gastrointestinal infections aka stomach flu are caught in the home.

Here's a Google search on 20/20 Ten Food Myths if you'd like more info.

Comments

[Masha]

I missed the 20/20 report on foods, and I am wondering if during the report on green tea Stossel's expert debunked this information from American Institute of Cancer Research website:
http://www.aicr.org/information/foods/greentea.lasso
Your summary of the report only mentions the lower incidence of cancer in Japan which can be explained by other factors, but did Stossel's experts have anything to say about the observational study of Asian American women:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/104536437/ABSTRACT
and
http://www.cbcrp.org/research/PageGrant.asp?grant_id=1582
that showed lower incidence of breast cancer in green tea drinkers (or soy eaters) even with adjustment for other factors.
There is also this link
http://www.medpagetoday.com/tbindex1.cfm?tbid=730
while doesn't specify the amount, but it doesn't mention it to be huge either. However, this article on webMD:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/83/97903.htm
mentions that only 2 or 3 cups a day may suffice for some risk reduction.
This mentions green tea supplements and prostate cancer study:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/503526
Since I missed Stossel's report I am wondering if he mentioned that there are no controlled studies that would provide a definite prove that green tea prevents cancer (which is correct), or if he said that that green tea's anti-cancer properties is a myth which doesn't seem to be the opinion of some medical web sites.

[Chris gross]

Beer before liquor helps you not get sick later? Where did to you go to college?

1. Beer before liqour, you've never been sicker.

2. Liqour before beer, you are in the clear.

First, get it right. Second, reason for #2 is the gradual lowering of alcohol intake in the body by drinking beer after hard liquor. Otherwise, your body goes into shock (the shakes) after passing out right after hard liqour, and you go into withdrawl.

How do you cure a hangover? Drink a beer, and be done. Case closed.